Mobile robot and method of operating thereof

ABSTRACT

A method of operating a mobile robot includes driving the robot according to a drive command issued by a remote operator control unit in communication with the robot, determining a driven path from an origin, and after experiencing a loss of communications with the operator control unit, determining an orientation of the robot. The method further includes executing a self-righting maneuver when the robot is oriented upside down. The self-righting maneuver includes rotating an appendage of the robot from a stowed position alongside a main body of the robot downward and away from the main body, raising and supporting the main body on the appendage, and then further rotating the appendage to drive the upright main body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over and thereby invert the main body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. patent application is a divisional of, and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §121 from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/241,682,filed on Sep. 23, 2011, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) toU.S. Provisional Application 61/417,964, filed on Nov. 30, 2010. Thedisclosures of these prior applications are considered part of thedisclosure of this application and are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to mobile robots having semi-autonomouscapabilities.

BACKGROUND

Robots are useful in a variety of civilian, military, and lawenforcement applications. For instance, some robots may inspect orsearch buildings with structural damage caused by earthquakes, floods,or hurricanes, or inspect buildings or outdoor sites contaminated withradiation, biological agents such as viruses or bacteria, or chemicalspills. Some robots carry appropriate sensor systems for inspection orsearch tasks. Robots designed for military applications may performoperations that are deemed too dangerous for soldiers. For instance, therobot can be used to leverage the effectiveness of a human “point man.”Law enforcement applications include reconnaissance, surveillance, bombdisposal and security patrols.

Small, man-portable robots are useful for many applications. Often,robots need to climb stairs or other obstacles. Generally, a small robotmust span at least three stair corners to climb stairs effectively, andmust have a: center of gravity in a central disposition to maintainclimbing stability. When the size or length of a. robot reaches acertain small size relative to the obstacle or stair it must climb, therobot's center of gravity usually has a deleterious effect on climbingability. What is needed, therefore, is a robot design that can climbobstacles that are large relative to the size of the robot.

Such robots are also employed for applications that require a robot toinspect under and around various objects and surfaces. What is needed,therefore, are robot sensor heads moveable in various degrees offreedom.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure provides a method of operating a mobilerobot. The method includes driving the robot according to a drivedirection, determining a driven path of the robot from an origin, anddisplaying a drive view on a remote operator control unit incommunication with the robot. The drive view has a driven path of therobot from the origin. The method further includes obtaining globalpositioning coordinates of a current location of the robot anddisplaying a map in the drive view using the global positioningcoordinates. The driven path of the robot is displayed on the map.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing features. In some implementations, the method includes atleast periodically obtaining the global positioning coordinates of thecurrent location of the robot to determine the driven path. The methodmay include receiving robot position and movement data including gyrodata, determining if the robot is at rest, and if at rest, determining agyro bias. The method may include determining a three-dimensionalgravity vector of the robot, determining an ego-motion estimate of therobot based at least in part on the three-dimensional gravity vector,gyro bias, and gyro data, and determining a robot global position bycombining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioning coordinatesof the robot. In some examples, the robot position and movement dataincludes gyro data, including a robot angular rate and a robotacceleration, robot odometry, and global positioning coordinates of therobot. Determining the ego-motion estimate of the robot may be based atleast in part on odometry. Moreover, a Kalman filter may be used todetermine the three-dimensional gravity vector of the robot. In someexamples, the method includes using a particle filter to determine therobot global position.

In some implementations, the method includes at least periodicallyreceiving the robot global position in the remote operator control unitand connecting the sequentially received robot global positions with adisplayed line. The driven path of the robot may be determined beforeobtaining the global positioning coordinates and displaying the drivenpath in the drive view. The method may include determining the drivenpath of the robot during a loss of communication with a satellite forobtaining the global positioning coordinates and displaying the drivenpath in the drive view.

The method may include determining the driven path of the robot using atleast one of an inertial measurement unit, odometry, and dead reckoning.After experiencing a loss of communications with the operator controlunit, the method may include determining a retro-traverse drive commandto maneuver the robot along a path back to a communication locationwhere the robot had established communications with the operator controlunit and driving the robot according to the determined retro-traversedrive command. The path back to the communication location may coincideat least in part with a portion of the driven path. Moreover, the methodmay include displaying a heading of the robot in the drive view.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides another method of operating amobile robot. The method includes driving the robot according to a drivecommand issued by a remote operator control unit in communication withthe robot, determining a driven path of the robot from an origin, andafter experiencing a loss of communications with the operator controlunit, determining a retro-traverse drive command to maneuver the robotalong a return path back to a communication location where the robot hadestablished communications with the operator control unit. The methodalso includes driving the robot according to the determinedretro-traverse drive command.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing features. In some implementations, the method includes atleast periodically obtaining global positioning coordinates of a currentlocation of the robot to determine the driven path. The return path backto the communication location may coincide at least in part with aportion of the driven path. The method may include storing thedetermined driven path in memory and continuously removing a portion ofthe determined driven path from the memory corresponding to the returnpath back to the communication location. Moreover, the method mayinclude ceasing driving the robot according to the determinedretro-traverse drive command when the robot is within a thresholddistance of the operator control unit. In some examples, the methodincludes displaying a drive view on the remote operator control unit incommunication with the robot, the drive view having the driven path ofthe robot from the origin.

In some implementations, the method includes obtaining globalpositioning coordinates of a current location of the robot anddisplaying a map in the drive view using the global positioningcoordinates, the driven path of the robot displayed on the map. Themethod may include receiving robot position and movement data includinggyro data, determining if the robot is at rest, and if at rest,determining a gyro bias. The method may include determining athree-dimensional gravity vector of the robot, determining an ego-motionestimate of the robot based at least in part on the three-dimensionalgravity vector, gyro bias, and gyro data, and determining a robot globalposition by combining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioningcoordinates of the robot. In some examples, the robot position andmovement data includes gyro data, including a robot angular rate and arobot acceleration, robot odometry, and global positioning coordinatesof the robot. Determining the ego-motion estimate of the robot may bebased at least in part on odometry. Moreover, a Kalman filter may beused to determine the three-dimensional gravity vector of the robot. Insome examples, the method includes using a particle filter to determinethe robot global position. The method may include at least periodicallyreceiving the robot global position in the remote operator control unitand connecting the sequentially received robot global positions with adisplayed line.

In yet another aspect, a method of operating a mobile robot includesdriving the robot according to a drive command issued by a remoteoperator control unit in communication with the robot, determining adriven path from an origin, and after experiencing a loss ofcommunications with the operator control unit, determining anorientation of the robot. The method further includes executing aself-righting maneuver when the robot is oriented upside down. Theself-righting maneuver includes rotating an appendage of the robot froma stowed position along side a main body of the robot downward and awayfrom the main body, raising and supporting the main body on theappendage, and then further rotating the appendage to drive the uprightmain body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over andthereby invert the main body.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing features. In some implementations, the appendage includes atleast one flipper rotatably mounted near one end of the main body of therobot. The flipper can rotate in a continuous 360 degrees with respectto the main body. The method may include moving each arm attached to themain body to place its respective center gravity in a position thatmaintain an overall center of gravity of the robot within the envelopeof the 360 degree rotation of the at least one flipper.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a method of operating a mobilerobot that includes driving the robot according to a heading issued by aremote operator control unit in communication with the robot and upondetecting a deviation between a drive heading of the robot and theissued heading, determining a heading correction. The method furtherincludes driving the robot according to the determined headingcorrection until the drive heading matches the issued heading.

In some implementations, the method includes displaying a drive view onthe remote operator control unit. The drive view shows a driven path ofthe robot from an origin and the heading of the robot. The method mayinclude obtaining global positioning coordinates of a current locationof the robot and displaying a map in the drive view using the globalpositioning coordinates, the driven path of the robot displayed on themap.

In some implementations, the method includes receiving robot positionand movement data including gyro data, determining if the robot is atrest, and if at rest, determining a gyro bias. The method may includedetermining a three-dimensional gravity vector of the robot, determiningan ego-motion estimate of the robot based at least in part on thethree-dimensional gravity vector, gyro bias, and gyro data, anddetermining a robot global position by combining the ego-motion estimateand the global positioning coordinates of the robot. In some examples,the robot position and movement data includes gyro data, including arobot angular rate and a robot acceleration, robot odometry, and globalpositioning coordinates of the robot. Determining the ego-motionestimate of the robot may be based at least in part on odometry.Moreover, a Kalman filter may be used to determine the three-dimensionalgravity vector of the robot. In some examples, the method includes usinga particle filter to determine the robot global position. The method mayinclude at least periodically receiving the robot global position in theremote operator control unit and connecting the sequentially receivedrobot global positions with a displayed line.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otheraspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the descriptionand drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an exemplary robot.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an exemplary robot.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an exemplary robot.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of an exemplary robot.

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of an exemplary navigation unit.

FIG. 5B is a schematic view of an exemplary map driver.

FIG. 5C is a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement of operationsfor determining a location of the robot.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an exemplary controller having a controlsystem.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an exemplary main menu displayable on anoperator control unit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary poses pane displayable on anoperator control unit.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of an exemplary robot in a stairclimbing pose.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic views of an exemplary operator controlunit displaying a robot plan view, a situational view, and first andsecond camera views.

FIG. 11 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement ofoperations for operating the robot.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an exemplary assisted behaviors viewdisplayable on an operator control unit.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are schematic views of exemplary plan views illustratinga robot executing a retro-traverse behavior.

FIG. 15 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement ofoperations for operating the robot using a retro-traverse behavior.

FIG. 16 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement ofoperations for operating the robot using a self-righting behavior.

FIG. 17 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement ofoperations for operating the robot using a heading hold behavior.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Mobile robots having semi-autonomous capabilities can perform a widervariety of missions as compared to robots with no semi-autonomous orautonomous capabilities. For example, a mobile robot havingsemi-autonomous capabilities may navigate or traverse a surface in anautonomous fashion while experiencing a loss of communications with aremote operator control unit (OCU) and navigate to regaincommunications.

An exemplary robotic vehicle or robot 100 that includes or receives andcommunicates with a navigation payload that provides semi-autonomouscapabilities is shown in FIGS. 1-4. Although the robot 100 shownincludes a track driven drive system having flippers, other mobilityplatforms, configurations and morphologies are possible as well, such aswheel driven platforms, crawling or walking platforms, etc. The robot100 can be designed to move about in a variety of environments,including an urban environment of buildings (including staircases),streets, underground tunnels, building ruble, and in vegetation, such asthrough grass and around trees. The robot 100 may have a variety offeatures which provide robust operation in these environments, includingimpact resistance, tolerance of debris entrainment, and invertibleoperability.

Examples of various tracked robotic vehicles or robots are shown anddescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,431,296, 6,263,989, 6,668,951 and6,651,885. The disclosures of these patents are considered part of thedisclosure of this application and are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties. The aforementioned patents describe theconstruction of various tracked robotic vehicles having driven flippersand articulated robotic components.

Referring to FIG. 1-4, the robot 100 includes a main body 110 (orchassis) having a drive system 115 supported by the main body 110. Themain body 110 has right and left sides 110 a, 110 b as well as a leadingend 110 c, a trailing end 110 d and a center of gravity CG_(M). In theexample shown, the main body 110 includes right and left rigid sideplates 112 a, 112 b disposed parallel to each other. At least onetransverse support 114 rigidly couples the right side plate 112 a to theleft side plate 112 b. In the example shown in FIG. 1, an articulatorshaft 116 at the leading end 110 c of the main body provides additionaltransverse support between the right and left side plates 112 a, 112 b.The rigid components are designed for strength and low weight and can bemade from a material such as 7075-T6 aluminum. Alternative versions ofthe robot 100 can use other materials, such as other lightweight metals,polymers, or composite materials. The robot 100 may be electricallypowered (e.g. by a bank of standard military BB-2590 replaceable andrechargeable lithium-ion batteries).

In some implementations, the drive system 115 includes right and leftdriven track assemblies 120 a, 120 b mounted on the corresponding rightand left sides 110 a, 110 b of the main body 110 and having right andleft driven tracks, 122 a and 122 b respectively. Each driven track 122a, 122 b is trained about a corresponding front wheel, 124 a, 124 b,which rotates about a drive axis 15. Although the robot 100 is depictedas having skid steer driven tracks, other drive systems are possible aswell, such as differentially driven wheels, articulated legs, etc.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot 100 includes at leastone extendable flipper 130 mounted on the main body 110. In the examplesshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the robot 100 is depicted without any flippers130, but may be configured to releasable receive one or more flippers130 onto the main body 110 (e.g., onto and concentric with one of thefront drive wheels 124 a, 124 b at the leading end 110 c of the mainbody 110). Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot 100 includesright and left flippers 130 a, 130 b, which are shown in a fullyextended configuration extending beyond the front or leading end 110 cof the main body 110. The flippers 130, 130 a, 130 b each have a distalend 130 c, a pivot end 130 d, and a flipper center of gravity CG_(F)between the distal and pivot ends 130 c, 130 d. Each flipper 130, 130 a,130 b pivots about a drive axis 15 near the leading end 110 c of themain body 110. Moreover, each flipper 130 a, 130 b may have a drivenflipper track 140 a, 140 b trained about flipper drive wheel 142 a, 142b, which is driven about the drive axis 15 at the pivot end 130 d of theflipper 130 a, 130 b. In the example shown, flipper track supports 134disposed on a flipper side plate 132 of the flipper 130 support theflipper track 120. In some implementations, the flippers 130, 130 a, 130b can be rotated in unison in a continuous 360 degrees between a stowedposition, in which the flippers 130 a, 130 b are next to the right andleft side plates 112 a, 112 b of the main body 110, and at least onedeployed position, in which the flippers 130 a, 130 b are pivoted at anangle with respect to the main tracks 122 a, 122 b. The center ofgravity CG of the robot 100 can be contained within an envelope of the360 degree rotation of the flippers 130 a, 130 b.

In some implementations, the flipper side plates 132 of the respectiveright and left flippers 130 a, 130 b are rigidly coupled to one anotherthrough the articulator shaft 116 to move together in unison. In otherimplementations, the flippers 130 a, 130 b pivot independently of eachother. The combination of main tracks assemblies 120 a, 120 b andflippers 130, 130 a, 130 b provide an extendable drive base length tonegotiate gaps in a supporting surface. In some examples, the right maintack 122 a and the right flipper track 140 a are driven in unison andthe left main tack 122 b and the left flipper track 140 b are driven inunison to provide a skid steer drive system.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the main body 110 includes a camera 118disposed near the leading end 110 c of the main body 110 and may bepositioned to have a field of view directed forward and/or upward. Therobot 100 may include one or more arms 150 (e.g., articulated arms) eachhaving a pivot end 150 c pivotally coupled to the main body 110 and adistal end 150 d that may be configured to receive a head 160 or agripper 170. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the robot includes one arm150 having a head 160 (e.g., a sensor head) mounted at the distal end150 d of the arm 150. The arm 150 has an arm center of gravity CG_(A)and the head 160 has a center of gravity CG_(H). The head 160 mayinclude a camera 162 (e.g., visible light and/or infrared camera),radar, LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, which can entail opticalremote sensing that measures properties of scattered light to find rangeand/or other information of a distant target), LADAR (Laser Detectionand Ranging), a communication device (radio frequency, wireless, etc.),and/or other components.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the robot 100 includes first andsecond arms 150 a, 150 b each having a pivot end 150 c pivotally coupledto the main body 110. Although the pivot end 150 c of the first arm 150a is shown attached near the trailing end 110 d of the main body 110 andthe pivot end 150 c of the second arm 150 b is shown attached near theleading end 110 c of the main body 110, both arms 150 a, 150 b may beattached at a common location or region of the main body 110. By havingthe arms 150 a, 150 b coupled to the main body 110 at opposite ends, thearms 150 a, 150 b can be stowed along the main body 110 in a compactconfiguration and pivot in opposite directions away from main body 110to allow a wider range of CG-shifting, for example, to negotiateobstacles. A head 160 is mounted on the distal end 150 d of the firstarm 150 a and a gripper 170 is mounted on the distal end 150 d of thesecond arm 150 b. In the example shown, the gripper 170 includes agripper camera 172 and first and second opposing fingers or tongs 174 a,174 b for grasping objects.

In some implementations, the robot 100 includes a controller 200 incommunication with the drive system 115 and any arm(s) 150, 150 a, 150 band head(s) 160 or gripper(s) 170 mounted on the arm(s) 150, 150 a, 150b. The controller 200 may issue drive commands to one or more motors 125driving the main tracks 120 and the flipper tracks 140. Moreover, thecontroller 200 may issue rotational commands a flipper motor 135 torotate the flippers 130 about the drive axis 15. The controller 200 mayinclude one or more computer processors and associated memory systems.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the controller 200 of the robot 100 mayinclude a communication system, which includes, for example, a radio tocommunicate with a remote operator control unit (OCU) 400 to receivecommands and issue status and/or navigation information. The OCU 400 mayinclude a display (e.g., LCD or touch screen) 410, a keyboard 420, andone or more auxiliary user inputs 430, such a joystick or gaming unit.The OCU 400 allows an operator or user to control the robot 100 from adistance. In some examples, the user can select different levels ofhuman control over the robot 100, ranging from a teleoperation mode, inwhich the user directly controls the motors and actuators on the robot100, to autonomous operation, in which the user passes higher-levelcommands to the robot 100. In partially autonomous operation, the robot100 can perform tasks such as following a perimeter or wall, recoveringfrom getting stuck in an opening or due to high centering on anobstruction, evading a moving object, or seeking light.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in some implementations, the robot 100receives, or the controller 200 includes, a navigation unit 500. In theexample shown in FIG. 4, the navigation unit 500 is mounted on the mainbody 110 in communication with the controller 200. The navigation unit500 provides semi-autonomous capabilities or assistive behaviors for therobot 100 to improve situational awareness for the robot operator. Forexample, the robot 100 may support an assisted teleoperation behavior,which prevents the user from hitting obstacles while using on boardobstacle detection/obstacle avoidance (ODOA) sensors and responsive ODOAbehaviors (e.g., turn away; turn around; stop before obstacle). Inanother example, the navigation unit 500 may perform certain tasks forthe robot operator, freeing the operator to perform other tasks andattend to operational security during a mission. The tasks performableby the navigation unit 500 may include, but not limited to, globalpositioning system (GPS) mapping, retro-traverse during a communicationsloss, self-right, and a heading hold. In the exemplary schematic shownin FIG. 5A, the navigation unit 500 includes a GPS module 510, aretro-traverse module 520, a self-righting module 530, a heading holdmodule 540, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 550 and I/O 560. Theretro-traverse module 520, the self-righting module 530, the headinghold module 540, in some implementations, have corresponding behaviorsexecutable on the controller 200 for controlling one or more componentsor resources of the robot 100.

Referring to FIG. 6, in some implementations, the controller 200 mayexecute a control system 210, which includes a control arbitrationsystem 210 a and a behavior system 210 b in communication with eachother. The control arbitration system 210 a allows applications 220 tobe dynamically added and removed from the control system 210, andfacilitates allowing applications 220 to each control the robot 100without needing to know about any other applications 220. In otherwords, the control arbitration system 210 a provides a simpleprioritized control mechanism between applications 220 and the resources230 of the robot 100.

The applications 220 can be stored in memory of or communicated to therobot 100, to run concurrently on (e.g., on a processor) andsimultaneously control the robot 100. The applications 220 may accessbehaviors 300 of the behavior system 210 b. The independently deployedapplications 220 are combined dynamically at runtime and to share robotresources 230 (e.g., drive system 115, arm(s) 150, head(s) 160 and/orgripper(s) 170) of the robot 100. A low-level policy is implemented fordynamically sharing the robot resources 230 among the applications 220at run-time. The policy determines which application 220 has control ofthe robot resources 230 required by that application 220 (e.g. apriority hierarchy among the applications 220). Applications 220 canstart and stop dynamically and run completely independently of eachother. The control system 210 also allows for complex behaviors 300which can be combined together to assist each other.

The control arbitration system 210 a includes one or more resourcecontrollers 240, a robot manager 250, and one or more control arbiters260. These components do not need to be in a common process or computer,and do not need to be started in any particular order. The resourcecontroller 240 component provides an interface to the controlarbitration system 210 a for applications 220. There is an instance ofthis component for every application 220. The resource controller 240abstracts and encapsulates away the complexities of authentication,distributed resource control arbiters, command buffering, and the like.The robot manager 250 coordinates the prioritization of applications220, by controlling which application 220 has exclusive control of anyof the robot resources 230 at any particular time. Since this is thecentral coordinator of information, there is only one instance of therobot manager 250 per robot. The robot manager 250 implements a prioritypolicy, which has a linear prioritized order of the resource controllers240, and keeps track of the resource control arbiters 260 that providehardware control. The control arbiter 260 receives the commands fromevery application 220 and generates a single command based on theapplications' priorities and publishes it for its associated resources230. The control arbiter 260 also receives state feedback from itsassociated resources 230 and sends it back up to the applications 220.The robot resources 230 may be a network of functional modules (e.g.actuators, drive systems, and groups thereof) with one or more hardwarecontrollers. The commands of the control arbiter 260 are specific to theresource 230 to carry out specific actions.

A dynamics model 270 executable on the controller 200 is configured tocompute the center for gravity (CG), moments of inertia, and crossproducts of inertial of various portions of the robot 100 for theassessing a current robot state. The dynamics model 270 may beconfigured to calculate the center of gravity CG_(M) of the main body110, the center of gravity CG_(F) of each flipper 130, the center ofgravity CG_(A) of each arm 150, the center of gravity CG_(H) of eachhead 160, and/or the center of gravity CG of the entire robot 100. Thedynamics model 270 may also model the shapes, weight, and/or moments ofinertia of these components. In some examples, the dynamics model 270communicates with the inertial moment unit (IMU) 550 or portions of one(e.g., accelerometers and/or gyros) in communication with the controller200 for calculating the various center of gravities of the robot 100.The dynamics model 270 can be used by the controller 200, along withother programs 220 or behaviors 300 to determine operating envelopes ofthe robot 100 and its components.

Each application 220 has an action selection engine 280 and a resourcecontroller 240, one or more behaviors 300 connected to the actionselection engine 280, and one or more action models 290 connected toaction selection engine 280. The behavior system 210 b providespredictive modeling and allows the behaviors 300 to collaborativelydecide on the robot's actions by evaluating possible outcomes of robotactions. In some examples, a behavior 300 is a plug-in component thatprovides a hierarchical, state-full evaluation function that couplessensory feedback from multiple sources with a-priori limits andinformation into evaluation feedback on the allowable actions of therobot. Since the behaviors 300 are pluggable into the application 220(e.g. residing inside or outside of the application 220), they can beremoved and added without having to modify the application 220 or anyother part of the control system 210. Each behavior 300 is a standalonepolicy. To make behaviors 300 more powerful, it is possible to attachthe output of multiple behaviors 300 together into the input of anotherso that you can have complex combination functions. The behaviors 300are intended to implement manageable portions of the total cognizance ofthe robot 100.

The action selection engine 280 is the coordinating element of thecontrol system 210 and runs a fast, optimized action selection cycle(prediction/correction cycle) searching for the best action given theinputs of all the behaviors 300. The action selection engine 280 hasthree phases: nomination, action selection search, and completion. Inthe nomination phase, each behavior 300 is notified that the actionselection cycle has started and is provided with the cycle start time,the current state, and limits of the robot actuator space. Based oninternal policy or external input, each behavior 300 decides whether ornot it wants to participate in this action selection cycle. During thisphase, a list of active behavior primitives is generated whose inputwill affect the selection of the commands to be executed on the robot100.

In the action selection search phase, the action selection engine 280generates feasible outcomes from the space of available actions, alsoreferred to as the action space. The action selection engine 280 usesthe action models 290 to provide a pool of feasible commands (withinlimits) and corresponding outcomes as a result of simulating the actionof each command at different time steps with a time horizon in thefuture. The action selection engine 280 calculates a preferred outcome,based on the outcome evaluations of the behaviors 300, and sends thecorresponding command to the control arbitration system 210 a andnotifies the action model 290 of the chosen command as feedback.

In the completion phase, the commands that correspond to a collaborativebest scored outcome are combined together as an overall command, whichis presented to the resource controller 240 for execution on the robotresources 230. The best outcome is provided as feedback to the activebehaviors 300, to be used in future evaluation cycles.

Referring to FIG. 7, in some implementations, the robot operator or usermay access a main menu 700 displayed on the display 410 of the OCU 400.The main menu 700 allows the user to select various features, modes, andadjust options for controlling and/or monitoring the robot 100. Userselected actions can cause interactions with one or more behaviors 300to execute the actions. In the example shown, the user can select a posechooser 710 that displays a robot pose pane 800, such as shown in FIG.8. The robot pose pane 800 may provide a pose list or pose collection810 of selectable poses. After selecting a robot pose, the robot 100assumes the selected pose. For example, using the control system 210,the controller 200 selects an action (or move command) for each roboticcomponent (e.g., motor or actuator) from a corresponding action space(e.g., a collection of possible actions or moves for that particularcomponent) to effectuate a coordinated move of each robotic component inan efficient manner that avoids collisions with itself and any objectsabout the robot 100, which the robot 100 is aware of. The controller 200can issue a coordinated command over robot network, such as an EtherIOnetwork, as described in U.S. Ser. No. 61/305,069, filed Feb. 16, 2010,the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the pose collection 810 includes a drivelow pose 810 a, which moves any attached arms 150, 150 a, 150 b to theirstowed positions along the main body 110 and the right and left flippers130 a, 130 b to an incline position with respect to the ground, as shownin FIG. 9. The drive low pose 810 a can also be referred to as a stairclimbing pose, when a stair climbing assist behavior 300 is activated(e.g., by the user, by another behavior, or by some other means). For arobot configuration having first and second arms 150 a, 150 b, eachhaving an attached head 160 and an attached gripper 170, respectively,activation of the drive low pose 810 a moves the first and second arms150 a, 150 b to their stowed positions along the main body 110, placingthe corresponding attached head 160 and gripper 170 next the to mainbody 110 as well. In some examples, the robot 100 can assume also assumea stair descending preparation pose (similar to the pose shown in FIG.9, but with the flippers 130 a, 130 b pointing downward) when a stairdescending assist behavior is activated. The stair climbing behaviorscan be configured to control (tilt) the flippers 130 a, 130 b andcontrol the position of the center of gravity CG the robot 100 as therobot 100 negotiates stairs. A stair climbing assist behavior keeps therobot 100 on a straight path up stairs and, in one example, may maintaina roll angle of about zero degrees.

Referring again to FIG. 8, in some examples, the user can select a drivehigh pose 810 b, which moves the first arm 150 a to a deployed positionat an angle greater than 0 degrees with respect to the main body 110.This moves the attached head 160 to a position above the main body 110,to obtain a different vantage point of the head camera 162, as shown inFIG. 2 for example. The user may select a stowed pose 810 c, which movesthe arm(s) 150, 160 a, 150 b to a stowed position next to or alongsidethe main body 110 (see e.g., FIG. 3) and the flippers 130 a, 130 b totheir stowed position as well alongside the main body 110 (e.g.,adjacent the side plates 112 a, 112 b of the main body 110). In someexamples, the user can select a pick and place pose 810 d, which movesthe first and second arms 150 a, 150 b to deployed positions at an anglegreater than 0 degrees with respect to the main body 110, as shown inFIG. 4. This pose places the robot 100 in a stance amenable to viewingan object with one of the cameras 118, 162, 172, grasping the objectwith the gripper 170, and moving the object. When grasping an objectwith the gripper 170, the OCU 400 may display a real-time gripping force(e.g., a measured by motor torque or motor current feedback, grippersensors, etc.). For example, while attempting to pick up and egg usingthe gripper 170, the user can monitor the gripping force and, in someexamples, set a maximum gripping force that the gripper 170 cannotexceed, so as to carefully pick up the egg without breaking the egg.Moreover, providing the user with gripper force feedback through the OCU400 allows the user to determine whether a particular object wassuccessfully grasped for transporting.

Moreover, the user can program custom poses for later assumption by therobot 100 as well. For example, the user may move the robot 100 into aparticular pose and record and name the pose. The controller 200 thenrepopulates the pose list to include the custom pose for selection anduse by the user. For example, the user may create an upright mobilitypose, which causes the controller 200 to rotate the flippers 130 a, 130b from a stowed position next to the main tracks 122 a, 122 b (or to thestowed position first and then) downward and away from the main tracks122 a, 122 b, raising and supporting the main body 110 on the flippers130 a, 130 b. The upright mobility position can be used to elevate thehead 160 to allow the head camera 162 to view over an obstacle.

Referring again to FIG. 7, in some implementations, the user may selecta camera view chooser 720 to determine one or more displayed real-timeviews that correspond to one or more of the cameras 118, 162, 172 on therobot 100. Moreover, the user may control a field of view and movementof each camera 118, 162, 172 to monitor various scenes about the robot100. For example, the user may direct one or more of the cameras 118,162, 172 to move to obtain a particular field of view and the controller200 will determine how to move an attached arm 150 or actuator (notshown) to effectuate the directed camera move.

In some examples, the user can select a drive mode 730 or a jointcontrol mode 740. The drive mode 730 may allow the user to monitor oneor more of a location, speed, heading and camera view(s) while drivingthe robot 100 using the OCU 400 or the auxiliary input 430 (e.g.,joystick). The joint control mode 740 may allow the user to controljoint articulation of an attached arm 150. For example, the user maywish to move one joint of the arm 150 while keeping another joint fixedor rigid, to assume a particular pose for the robot 100 or to carry outa particular mission.

FIGS. 10A and 10B provide exemplary drive mode views 1000 on the OCUdisplay 410. The drive mode view 1000, in some examples, provides a planor location view 1010 of the robot 100, a situational model view 1020 ofthe robot 100, a first camera view 1030 (e.g., corresponding to thecamera 118 on the main body (shown in the example as a forward field ofview)) and a second camera view 1040 (e.g., corresponding to the headcamera or the gripper camera 172). As the user issues drive commands tothe robot 100 (e.g., via the keyboard 420 or the auxiliary input 430(e.g., joystick)), the user can monitor the movement and location of therobot through the drive mode view 1010. For example, while driving therobot 100, the user can monitor a driven path 1012 of the robot 100traced in the plan view 1010. The situational model view 1020 provides amodel of a current state and pose of the robot 100. In the examplesshown, the situational model view 1020 depicts the robot 100 in a pickand place pose along with drive command arrows 1022 (e.g., movementvectors or graphical representations of rotate and translate commands).

The GPS module 510 (FIG. 5A) may ascertain global positioningcoordinates of the robot 100 (e.g., for GPS waypoint navigation) and/ortime information from a satellite, which can be displayed on the planview 1010. The controller 200 can receive the global positioningcoordinates from the GPS unit 510 and communicate the coordinates to theOCU 400. The OCU 400 may execute a location routine that displays a map1014 on the plan view 1010, and example of which is shown in FIGS. 10Aand 10B, indicating a location of the robot 100 with respect to the map1014. Moreover, in some examples, the GPS module 510 displays points ofinterest 1016 (user identified or otherwise) on the map 1014. Forexample, while navigating the robot 100, the user can mark points ofinterest 1016 on the map 1014 (e.g., after viewing a scene about therobot 100 via one or more of the cameras 118, 162, 172). If the GPSmodule 510 cannot communicate with or otherwise ascertained coordinatesfrom a satellite, the navigation unit 500 can maintain the driven path1012 of the moving robot 100 until regaining satellite communications.The navigation unit 500 may obtain position and movement informationfrom the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 550, track odometry, and/ordead reckoning. Upon regaining satellites communications, the GPS module510 can identify the location of the robot 100 and overlay the map 1014on the driven path 1012 in the plan view 1010. The GPS module 510 mayexecute a filter algorithm to match up the recorded driven path 1012 ofthe robot 100 with the map 1014.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, in some implementations, a map driver 570executable on the controller 200 (e.g., or on the navigation unit 500 incommunication with the controller 200) includes a stopped detectorcomponent 572, a sampling component 574, a filter component 576, anego-motion component 578, and a global component 580.

The map driver 570 receives data signals from three-dimensional (3D)angular rate gyro(s) 552 and 3D accelerometer(s) 554 of the inertialmeasurement unit (IMU) 550 as well as global positioning coordinates ofthe robot 100 from the GPS module 510 and track odometry. The stoppeddetector component 572 uses data associated with the received datasignals (e.g., from the track odometry and the accelerometers of theinertial measurement unit (IMU) 550) to determine if the robot 100 is atrest. When the robot 100 is at rest, the sampling component 574 samplesdata from the 3D angular rate gyro(s) 552 and determines a gyro bias(drift) on the 3D angular rate gyro(s) 552. The filter component 576determines a 3D gravity vector respect to the robot 100 using a Kalmanfilter on received angular rate data and accelerometer data.

Generally, a Kalman filter uses measurements that are observed over timethat contain noise (random variations) and other inaccuracies, andproduces values that tend to be closer to the true values of themeasurements and their associated calculated values. The Kalman filtermay produce estimates of the true values of measurements and theirassociated calculated values by predicting a value, estimating theuncertainty of the predicted value, and computing a weighted average ofthe predicted value and the measured value. The most weight is given tothe value with the least uncertainty. The estimates produced by themethod tend to be closer to the true values than the originalmeasurements because the weighted average has a better estimateduncertainty than either of the values that went into the weightedaverage.

The ego-motion component 578 receives the 3D gravity vector, trackodometry, gyro bias, and gyro data, subtracts the gyro bias from thegyro data, and then resolves the 3D gyro data relative to the gravityvector (to account for hills or any non-flat surface). The ego-motioncomponent 578 then adds the angular rates from the resolved gyro data tothe track odometry to produce an ego-motion estimate. The globalposition component 580 combines the ego-motion estimate and the globalpositioning coordinates of the robot 100 to produce a robot globalposition estimate using a particle filter. The particle filter outputs abest estimate of the robot global position, which is periodically sentto the OCU 400, which displays a line segment (e.g., depicting a drivenpath) connecting the consecutive robot global position estimatesreceived by the OCU 400.

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary arrangement of operations executable bythe navigation unit 500 and/or controller 200 (e.g., on a processor) fordetermining a location of the robot 100. The operations includereceiving 591 robot position and movement data, for example, a robotangular rate, a robot acceleration, robot odometry and globalpositioning coordinates of the robot 100. The operations further includedetermining 592 if the robot 100 is at rest, and if at rest, determining593 a gyro bias (or drift). The operations include determining 594 a 3Dgravity vector of the robot 100, for example, by using a Kalman filterand then determining 595 an ego-motion estimate of the robot 100, forexample, by using the 3D gravity vector, odometry, gyro bias, and gyrodata. The operations further include determining 596 a robot globalposition by combining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioningcoordinates of the robot 100 using a particle filter.

FIG. 11 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement 1100 ofoperations for operating the robot 100. The operations include driving1102 the robot 100 according to a drive direction, determining 1104 adriven path 1012 from an origin 1013, displaying 1106 a drive view 1010on a remote operator control unit (OCU) 400 in communication with therobot 100. The drive view 1010 shows a driven path 1012 of the robot 100from the origin 1013. The operations further include obtaining 1108global positioning coordinates of a current location of the robot 100and displaying 1110 a map 1014 in the drive view 1010 using the globalpositioning coordinates. The driven path 1012 of the robot 100 isdisplayed on the map 1014. In some implementations, the operationsfurther include at least periodically obtaining the global positioningcoordinates of the current location of the robot 100 to determine thedriven path 1012. The operations may include determining the driven path1012 of the robot 100 before obtaining the global positioningcoordinates and displaying the driven path 1012 in the drive view 1010.Moreover, the operations may include determining the driven path 1012 ofthe robot 100 during a loss of communication with a satellite forobtaining the global positioning coordinates and displaying the drivenpath 1012 in the drive view 1010. The driven path 1012 can be determinedusing at least one of an inertial measurement unit, odometry, and deadreckoning.

FIG. 12 provides an exemplary assisted behaviors view 1200 displayableon the display 410 of the OCU 400. The assisted behaviors view 1200 mayallow the user to select and execute certain behaviors 300. Referringagain to FIG. 6, the behaviors 300 can be stored in memory on thecontroller 200, such as an assisted teleoperation behavior 300 a in theexample shown, and/or accessed from the navigation unit 500, such as theretro-traverse behavior 300 b, the self-righting behavior 300 c, and theheading hold behavior 300 d. In some examples, behaviors 300 of thenavigation unit 500 are accessed directly from memory of the navigationunit 500 and/or communicated from the navigation unit to and stored inmemory of the controller 200.

The assisted teleoperation behavior 300 a executable on the controlsystem 210 is configured to prevent an operator from maneuvering therobot 100 into obstacles. The assisted teleoperation behavior 300 areceives inputs from obstacle detection and obstacle avoidance sensors(e.g., front and rear proximity sensors disposed on the main body 110)and evaluates an outcome of the current robot command. The assistedteleoperation behavior 300 a causes the robot 100 to institute obstacleavoidance measures (e.g., stop or turn away from obstacles) before therobot 100 reaches the obstacle. An obstacle is a physical ornon-physical impediment that interferes with the proper functioning ofthe robot. Obstacles include physical objects, cliffs, adverse localizedenvironmental conditions (e.g. hot temperature spot or high radiationarea), etc. In some implementations, the assisted teleoperation behavior300 a is disabled for manual override control of the robot's resources(e.g., flippers 130, arms 150, etc.).

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the user set the retro-traversebehavior 300 b and the self-righting behavior 300 c to be active duringa loss of communications event. The assisted behaviors 300 may bedeactivated when the robot 100 is within a non-assist area 1011 aboutthe user (FIGS. 10A and 10B), so as to prevent unsafe situations aboutthe user. In the plan view 1010, the user area 1011 is shown centeredabout a location 1013 of the OCU 400 (presumably in the control of theuser). As the robot 100 moves away from the OCU 400 and out of thenon-assist area 1011, the assisted behaviors 300 become operational. Theuser may specify additional non-assist areas 1011 through the OCU 400,for example, about known areas populated by personnel.

The retro-traverse behavior 300 b places the robot 100 into anautonomous or semiautonomous mode upon losing communications with theOCU 400. In the example shown, a loss of communications occurred atpoint 1015 along the driven path 1012 recorded by the navigation unit500. After a threshold period of time (e.g., 60 seconds) of experiencingthe loss of communications with the OCU 400, the retro-traverse behavior300 b executes a retro-traverse routine to return to the point 1015 atwhich the robot 100 last had communications with the OCU 400. Referringto FIG. 13, an exemplary plan view 1010, if the GPS module 510 canobtain global positioning coordinates from a satellite, theretro-traverse behavior 300 b, in some implementations, issues commandsto the drive system 115 to maneuver back along the driven path 1012, asa re-traversed driven path 1012 b or a new direct path 1012 a accordingto the global positioning coordinates to the point 1015 of lastcommunications. If the GPS module 510 cannot obtain global positioningcoordinates from a satellite, the retro-traverse behavior 300 b, in someimplementations, issues commands to the drive system 115 to maneuverback along the driven path 1012 using measurements recorded by the IMU550, track odometry, and/or dead reckoning. The retro-traverse behavior300 b may instruct the camera(s) 118, 162, 172 to return to a defaultposition (e.g., having a forward or rearward field of view).

Referring to FIG. 14, an exemplary plan view 1010, while traversing backalong the driven path 1012, if the robot 100 overshoots the point 1015of last communications, the retro-traverse behavior 300 b may instructthe drive system 115 to traverse only the portion of the driven path1012 c that progressed past the point 1015 of last communications,rather than re-traversing the entire driven path 1012 recorded since theloss of communications. In some implementations, as the robot 100 movesback along the recorded driven path 1012, the retro-traverse behavior300 b removes the retro-traversed path 1012 b from the recorded drivenpath 1012 of the navigation unit 500. Consequently, after overshootingthe point 1015 of last communications, the recorded driven path 1012 nolonger includes the retro-traversed path 1012 b back to the point 1015of last communications and includes a new traversed path 1012 c of therobot back away from the point 1015 of last communications, which can beretro-traversed by the robot 100 using the retro-traverse behavior 300 bor the retro-traverse behavior 300 b can determine a new best path 1012d back to the point 1015 of last communications.

In some implementations, the user may set a keep-out area 1011 a thatthe robot 100 cannot enter while executing a retro-traverse routine. Forexample, the user may set a keep-out area 1011 a around the OCU 400and/or other operational locations or hazards. The keep-out area 1011 amay be the same area as the non-assist area 1011.

FIG. 15 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement 1500 ofoperations for operating the robot 100 using the retro-traverse behavior300 b. The operations include driving 1502 the robot 100 according to adrive command issued by a remote operator control unit (OCU) 400 incommunication with the robot 100, determining 1504 a driven path 1012 ofthe robot 100 from an origin 1013, and after experiencing a loss ofcommunications with the OCU 400, determining 1506 a retro-traverse drivecommand to maneuver the robot 100 along a return path 1012 a, 1012 bback to a communication location 1015 where the robot 100 hadestablished communications with the OCU 400. The operations furtherinclude driving 1508 the robot 100 according to the determinedretro-traverse drive command. In some implementations, the operationsfurther include ceasing 1510 driving the robot 100 according to thedetermined retro-traverse drive command when the robot 100 is within athreshold distance of the OCU 400. The operations may include at leastperiodically obtaining global positioning coordinates of a currentlocation of the robot 100 to determine the driven path 1012. The returnpath 1012 a, 1012 b back to the communication location 1015 may coincideat least in part with a portion of the driven path 1012. Moreover, theoperations may include storing the determined driven path 1012 in memory(e.g., of the controller 200) and continuously removing a portion of thedetermined driven path 1012 from the memory corresponding to the returnpath 1012 a, 1012 b back to the communication location 1015.

The self-righting behavior 300 c places the robot into an autonomous orsemiautonomous mode upon experiencing a robot flip-over (e.g., asdetected by the IMU 550) to self-right the robot 100. The self-rightingbehavior 300 c may execute a self-righting routine, which issuescommands to the drive system 115 and/or one or more attached arms 150 tomove in a manner that places the robot 100 in an upright position. Forexample, if the drive system 115 includes flippers 130, 130 a, 130 b,the self-righting module 530 may instruct the flippers 130, 130 a, 130 bto rotate from the stowed position next to the main tracks 122 a, 122 bdownward and away from the main tracks 122 a, 122 b, raising andsupporting the main body 110 on the flippers 130 a, 130 b, and thenfurther rotate the flippers 130 a, 130 b to drive the upright main body110 past a vertical position, causing the robot 100 to fall over andthereby invert the main body 110. If any arms 150 are attached to themain body 110, the self-righting module 530 may move the arms 150 toplace of their respective center gravities CG_(A) (and the center ofgravity CG_(H) of any attached head(s) 160) in positions that maintainthe overall center of gravity CG of the robot 100 within an envelope ofthe 360 degree rotation of the flippers 130 a, 130 b.

FIG. 16 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement 1600 ofoperations for operating the robot 100 using the self-righting behavior300 c. The operations include driving 1602 the robot 100 according to adrive command issued by a remote operator control unit (OCU) 400 incommunication with the robot 100, determining 1604 a driven path 1012 ofthe robot 100 from an origin 1013, and after experiencing a loss ofcommunications with the OCU 400, determining 1606 an orientation of therobot 100. The operations include executing 1608 a self-rightingmaneuver when the robot 100 is oriented upside down. The self-rightingmaneuver includes rotating 1608 an appendage of the robot (e.g., atleast one flipper 130) from a stowed position along side a main body 110of the robot 100 downward and away from the main body 110, raising andsupporting the main body 110 on the appendage 130, and then furtherrotating 1610 the appendage 130 to drive the upright main body 110 pasta vertical position, causing the robot 100 to fall over and therebyinvert the main body 110. In some examples, the appendage includes atleast one flipper 130 rotatably mounted near one end of the main body110 of the robot 100. The at least one flipper 130 is rotatable in acontinuous 360 degrees with respect to the main body 110. Moreover, theoperations may include moving each arm 150 attached to the main body 110to place its respective center gravity CG_(A) in a position thatmaintain an overall center of gravity CG of the robot 100 within theenvelope of the 360 degree rotation of the at least one flipper 130.

The heading hold behavior 300 d provides an assistant behavior thatallows the robot 100 correct a heading 1017 (FIG. 10A) of the drivenrobot 100. For example, if the robot 100 hits a rock, obstacle, orcourse variation while driving in veers off course, the heading holdbehavior 300 d can automatically correct the heading 1017 of the robot100, allowing the robot 100 to maintain a drive direction issued by theuser. In some examples, the auxiliary input 430 (e.g., joystick) canhave a left-to-right dead band for steering the robot 100. Using theheading hold behavior 300 d, the user can set a drive direction orheading 1017 and select the heading hold behavior 300 d to maintain thatdrive direction or heading 1017. While initiating a drive or driving inan arced path, the heading hold behavior 300 d may determine an projectthe arced heading 1017 on the plan view 1010. The user can elect toallow the heading hold behavior 300 d to follow the determined arcedheading 1017 or drive along a different path.

FIG. 17 provides a schematic view of an exemplary arrangement 1700 ofoperations for operating the robot 100 using the heading hold behavior300 d. The operations include driving 1702 the robot according to aheading 1017 issued by the OCU 400 in communication with the robot 100,and upon detecting a deviation between a drive heading of the robot andthe issued heading 1017, determining 1704 a heading correction. Theoperations further include driving 1706 the robot 100 according to thedetermined heading correction until the drive heading matches the issuedheading 1017.

In some implementations, the controller 200 and/or the OCU 400 allowsthe user to move the head 160 and/or the gripper 170 to preciselocations without having to control each individual joint of therespective arm 150, 150 a, 150 b. For example, when the user instructsthe head 160 to move straightforward, the controller 200 and/or the OCU400 determines the arm joint movements necessary to move ahead 160 inCartesian space (e.g., using inverse kinematics). The control system 210determines a number of feasible commands and selects the command havingthe best outcome to carry out the user command. In other words, thecontrol system 210 generates a number of feasible commands using thedynamics model 270 and action model(s) 290 and selects the command thatwill cause the head 160 to move in the manner commanded by the user(e.g., straight forward in Cartesian space, straight down, etc.).

A system for allowing an operator to switch between remote vehicleteleoperation and one or more remote vehicle autonomous behaviors isdescribed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0037033, filedFeb. 5, 2009; U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0086241, filedApr. 10, 2008; and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0027590,filed Jan. 31, 2008, the entire contents of these publications arehereby incorporated by reference. Various features disclosed in theaforementioned publications are combinable with features disclosedherein. For example, the aforementioned system can be implemented in thedisclosed mobile robot 100 to provide an operator control unit (OCU) 400capable of receiving an input from the operator including instructionsfor executing an autonomous behavior that uses input from the GPS module510, the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 550, and a navigation CPU ofthe navigation unit 500.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and“computer-readable medium” refer to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablemedium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to providemachine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

Implementations of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments ofthe subject matter described in this specification can be implemented asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.The computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, amachine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition ofmatter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combinationof one or more of them. The term “data processing apparatus” encompassesall apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including byway of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multipleprocessors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition tohardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computerprogram in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, aprotocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or acombination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is anartificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical,optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encodeinformation for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded inanother device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable forstoring computer program instructions and data include all forms ofnon-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way ofexample semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back endcomponent, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front endcomponent, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described is this specification, or anycombination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front endcomponents. The components of the system can be interconnected by anyform or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may beclaimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particularimplementations of the invention. Certain features that are described inthis specification in the context of separate implementations can alsobe implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely,various features that are described in the context of a singleimplementation can also be implemented in multiple implementationsseparately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, althoughfeatures may be described above as acting in certain combinations andeven initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimedcombination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and theclaimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation ofa sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multi-tasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims. Forexample, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in adifferent order and still achieve desirable results.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a mobile robot, the methodcomprising: driving the robot according to a drive command issued by aremote operator control unit in communication with the robot;determining a driven path from an origin; after experiencing a loss ofcommunications with the operator control unit, determining anorientation of the robot; and executing a self-righting maneuver whenthe robot is oriented upside down, the self-righting maneuvercomprising: rotating an appendage of the robot from a stowed positionalongside a main body of the robot downward and away from the main body,raising and supporting the main body on the appendage, and then furtherrotating the appendage to drive the upright main body past a verticalposition, causing the robot to fall over and thereby invert the mainbody, wherein the appendage comprises at least one flipper rotatablymounted near one end of the main body of the robot, the at least oneflipper rotatable in a continuous 360 degrees with respect to the mainbody.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the at leastone flipper to place a center gravity of the at least one flipper in aposition that maintains an overall center of gravity of the robot withinan envelope of the 360 degree rotation of the at least one flipper. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one flipper comprises rightand left flippers disposed on corresponding right and left sides of themain body, each flipper having a distal end, a pivot end pivotallycoupled near the one end of the main body of the robot, and a flippercenter of gravity between the distal and pivot ends, and whereinmovement of the flippers alters a location of an overall center ofgravity of the robot.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisingrotating the right and left flippers in unison or independently fromeach other.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one flippercomprises a flipper track support and driven track trained about theflipper track support.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving gyro data; and determining the orientation of the robot usingthe gyro data.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining theorientation of the robot comprises: receiving data signals from at leastone three-dimensional angular rate gyro of the robot and/or at least onethree-dimensional accelerometer of an inertial measurement unit of therobot; and determining a three-dimensional gravity vector of the robotbased on the received data signals.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising using a Kalman filter to determine the three-dimensionalgravity vector of the robot.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining a retro-traverse drive command afterexperiencing the loss of communications with the operator control unitto maneuver the robot along a path back to a communication locationwhere the robot had established communications with the operator controlunit; and driving the robot according to the retro-traverse drivecommand.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the path back to thecommunication location coincides at least in part with a portion of thedriven path from the origin.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising at least periodically obtaining global positioningcoordinates of a current location of the robot to determine the drivenpath.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the driven pathfrom the origin comprises: receiving robot position and movement datacomprising: gyro data of the robot including a robot angular rate and arobot acceleration; drive odometry of the robot; and global positioningcoordinates of the robot obtained from satellite communications; whenthe robot is at rest, determining a gyro bias based on the gyro data;determining a three-dimensional gravity vector of the robot based on thegyro data; determining an ego-motion estimate of the robot by:subtracting the gyro bias from the gyro data; resolving the gyro datarelative to the three-dimensional gravity vector; and adding angularrates from the resolved gyro data to the drive odometry of the robot;when the satellite communications used to obtain the global positioningcoordinates of the robot are available, determining a robot globalposition by combining the ego-motion estimate and the global positioningcoordinates of the robot; when the satellite communications used toobtain the global positioning coordinates of the robot are unavailable,determining the robot global position of the robot based on at least oneof the gyro data, the drive odometry, or dead reckoning.
 13. A method ofoperating a mobile robot, the method comprising: driving the robotaccording to a drive command issued by a remote operator control unit incommunication with the robot; determining a driven path from an origin;after experiencing a loss of communications with the operator controlunit, determining an orientation of the robot; and executing aself-righting maneuver when the robot is oriented upside down, theself-righting maneuver comprising: rotating an appendage of the robotfrom a stowed position alongside a main body of the robot downward andaway from the main body, raising and supporting the main body on theappendage, and then further rotating the appendage to drive the uprightmain body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over andthereby invert the main body, wherein the appendage comprises: an armhaving a pivot end and a distal end, the pivot end pivotally coupled tothe main body; and a head mounted on the distal end of the arm.
 14. Amethod of operating a mobile robot, the method comprising: driving therobot according to a drive command issued by a remote operator controlunit in communication with the robot; determining a driven path from anorigin; after experiencing a loss of communications with the operatorcontrol unit, determining an orientation of the robot; and executing aself-righting maneuver when the robot is oriented upside down, theself-righting maneuver comprising: rotating an appendage of the robotfrom a stowed position alongside a main body of the robot downward andaway from the main body, raising and supporting the main body on theappendage, and then further rotating the appendage to drive the uprightmain body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over andthereby invert the main body, wherein the appendage comprises: an armhaving a pivot end and a distal end, the pivot end pivotally coupled tothe main body; and a gripper mounted on the distal end of the arm.